Try Not to Breathe

By Holly Seddon

Try Not to Breathe - Holly Seddon
  • Release Date: 2016-02-23
  • Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Score: 4
4
From 212 Ratings

Description

For fans of Gillian Flynn, Laura Lippman, and Paula Hawkins comes Holly Seddon’s arresting fiction debut—an engrossing thriller full of page-turning twists and turns, richly imagined characters, and gripping psychological suspense.
 
Some secrets never die. They’re just locked away.
 
Alex Dale is lost. Destructive habits have cost her a marriage and a journalism career. All she has left is her routine: a morning run until her body aches, then a few hours of forgettable work before the past grabs hold and drags her down. Every day is treading water, every night is drowning. Until Alex discovers Amy Stevenson. Amy Stevenson, who was just another girl from a nearby town until the day she was found unconscious after a merciless assault. Amy Stevenson, who has been in a coma for fifteen years, forgotten by the world. Amy Stevenson, who, unbeknownst to her doctors, remains locked inside her body, conscious but paralyzed, reliving the past.
 
Soon Alex’s routine includes visiting hours at the hospital, then interviews with the original suspects in the attack. But what starts as a reporter’s story becomes a personal obsession. How do you solve a crime when the only witness lived but cannot tell the tale? Unable to tear herself away from her attempt to uncover the unspeakable truth, Alex realizes she’s not just chasing a story—she’s seeking salvation.
 
Shifting from present to past and back again, Try Not to Breathe unfolds layer by layer until its heart-stopping conclusion. The result is an utterly immersive, unforgettable debut.
 
Praise for Try Not to Breathe

“A brilliant, beautifully written thriller.”—Augusten Burroughs, New York Times bestselling author of Running with Scissors

“A razor-sharp plot and wonderfully complex characters . . . Not since The Girl on the Train have I been so captivated by a work of suspense.”New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen

“A fast-paced debut about long-buried secrets and tangled truths.”New York Times bestselling author Kimberly McCreight
 
“Engrossing . . . Seddon’s storytelling skills are strong. . . . The world she’s constructed is fascinating and slightly dark.”Kirkus Reviews

Reviews

  • Simply Good

    5
    By Dr.Mrs.Afi
    Great storytelling; hard to put down; the type of novel one searches for.
  • Try Not to Breathe

    5
    By Bamma342
    Stunningly creative book. Even though it was too easy to guess who did it, the flow of the book kept me riveted til the very end. Excellent read!!!
  • Meh

    3
    By SpazzC
    Nowhere near as good as Girl on the Train…had to skim the last bit and the killer was glaringly obvious from the moment we met the contenders.
  • Thrilling Page Turner

    5
    By Forgetitnow13680
    Loved this book! Well drawn characters, original plot, unusual story. Really couldn't put it down.
  • Try Not to Breathe

    2
    By WRF0rd
    It reminded me of Girl on the Train. Not very original. She's an alcoholic female who lost her husband and baby. Husband remarries and has a kid. She solves a murder. Duplicate story lines. It's a little disappointing.
  • Loved.

    5
    By BookDoctor3500
    I loved this atmospheric and well-crafted book. Really excellent.
  • Disappointing!

    1
    By Kris Anderson, The Avid Reader
    Try Not to Breathe by Holly Seddon is supposed to be a novel of suspense. Amy Stevenson was fifteen years old in 1995(this is where the story starts) went she disappeared on her way home from school. She was found a few days later severely beaten. Fifteen years later Amy is still alive (sort of). Amy is in a persistent vegetative state and living on the Bramble Ward at Tunbridge Wells Royal Infirmary. Amy has some brain function, has cycles of asleep and awake, and can breathe on her own. But she has yet to come awake. The police have never found who did this to her. Who did this to Amy? Alex Dale is a freelance journalist (it is now September of 2010) who was at Tunbridge Wells Royal Infirmary doing research for a story on Dr. Peter Haynes (who is researching if people in vegetative states can communicate). Alex saw Amy on the ward and remembers her story. Alex and Amy are the same age. Alex starts digging into it hoping for a big story. Alex could use a break. Alex has ruined her career and life with alcohol. She refuses to get treatment, however, she cannot work past noon because she has to start drinking. Alex is hoping this story will help her career. Will Alex be able to discover what happened to Amy? Will killer try to stop Alex from writing her story? Try Not to Breathe by Holly Seddon was an extreme disappointment. It was a slow paced novel that had no suspense or mystery. The culprit was extremely obvious. I compare this novel to waiting for water to boil. You know how you sit there and wait and wait and wait. That is this novel. It goes on and on and on. There were no surprises or a great twist. Alex is an extremely unlikeable character (she drinks voraciously, acts idiotic, wets her bed). The story is told from different points-of-views which makes it harder to get into the story and it also goes back and forth in time. I give Try Not to Breathe 1 out of 5 stars. I just did not enjoy Try Not to Breathe. I received a complimentary copy of Try Not to Breathe from First to Read and NetGalley in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.